The Winter Wishlist

Winter is, at least for me, the best time to pick up nice clothes. It's probably also the most important because staying warm in our cold winters is a must. Thankfully this winter has thrown plenty of things my way which I really like the look of. Having got myself a job recently I'm full of hope that I'll be able to actually pick some up, as opposed to staring wishfully at a computer screen which is my normal practice for stuff I cannot afford.

Anyway, without further ado and in no particular order, here are my ten winter wants:

This Universal Works Parka is a thing of beauty. I make no secret of my love for parka coats and this is one that has definitely caught by eye. There's no fur or no frills with it which in my eye can only be a good thing. Universal Works is all about being understated and the clothing is based on a simple mantra: good quality, good looking and affordable. This coat is no different. Featuring a chest pocket and two handwarming pockets, the jacket also has some lovely black buttons which compliment the deep navy colour of the coat wonderfully well. If more colours are available I may opt for something different from blue – not because it doesn't look suave in this colour (it does!) but because my wardrobe is crying out for a splash of colour.

If it's polo shirts you are after then you need not look any further than Ralph Lauren. After all, Ralph and René (Lacoste) are the two men who made the polo shirt popular. Whereas some feel Lacoste has suffered with quality problems recently, I have had no such problems with the 'preppy' garments that Ralph has been churning out. For the winter I will be after some long sleeved efforts. I don't want anything with huge logos or flags on it so I'll be sticking to the small polo player shirts. As for the colours, I'm undecided but these Ralph Lauren Long Sleeve Polo Shirts in chocolate brown and forest pine green look rather nice indeed.



Oliver Spencer takes the best from Americana and Japanese innovation and applies his own classic English touch to create and design the clothes that feature in his range. Sound good? That's because it is. Everyone needs a slightly heavier shirt for the winter and this Oliver Spencer Button Down Shirt is made from 100% cotton flannel and looks to me as if it will hit the spot pefectly. The shirt has a nice quirk with a rounded pocket on the left part of the chest and is also a slim cut shirt so should highlight my ever expanding gut quite accurately - unfortunately.



Everyone needs something to keep their head warm in winter, don't they? My choice this winter will be a Casual Connoisseur Bobble Hat. This label is predominantly renowned for their unique and original tee shirt designs but they are expanding into other areas of clothing. Their first forays into hat making have been suitably successful with the bobble hats flying out as quickly as they came in. For this winter they will be producing two hats. One will stick to the same design but feature new colours while the other will showcase an entirely new design. They should be arriving in a few months or so – my money will be waiting for them.



Winter is not the time to be going out in your rare suede adidas trainers and a good, sturdy pair of boots or durable shoes is a must. These can be expensive at the best of times so I may have to wait for the sales if I'm to grab myself a pair. This pair of Red Wing Wabasha Leather & Canvas Boots have caught my eye. They've got a lot going for them – they're hard wearing, made in the US of A and not least, they look fantastic. One drawback is their price; they weigh in at over one and a half ton although I would guess it is a case of you get what you pay for with these beauties. I think I shall see if they get reduced in the sales otherwise I'll have to settle for some Clarks or Timbies, maybe.



Like a piece of headwear, a pair of gloves is another winter essential. It's all good and well having the warmest coat in the world but you can't allow your hands to freeze now, can you? A smart pair of leather gloves usually do the trick but these Folk People Gloves look ace and the vibrant colours and patterning are very novel quirks. Speaking of quirks, the fact these can be rolled back to keep your arms warm is another cracking feature.

I'm all for a bit of old school Americana and a classic 60/40 Parka certainly falls into that category. Many notable outdoors brands, the majority from Colorado, were responsible for the 60/40 innovation of using 58% cotton and 42% nylon (rounded for convenience) and these shells were hugely popular prior to the increased use of other materials such as goretex. They're pretty damned elusive to get your hands on but I've seen a number of stunners on a certain auctioneering site although none of these have been in my size. I guess the hunt all adds to the fun though, right? I'll keep on trying. What brand will I be looking at? All sorts in honesty – Columbia, LL Bean, REI, Sierra Designs and Woolrich are among them. The 60/40 parka is a fantastic example of outerwear innovation that inspires countless coats and jackets today.

The winter weather can on occasion get so chilly that wearing a heavy, lined jacket simply isn't enough. For these situations you'll need a good piece of knitwear to nestle in between your shirt and coat. When it comes to high quality knitwear there are few who do it better than Saint James. This French label makes some of the greatest fisherman's sweaters out there. The use of tight and heavy stitching helps to waterproof the garments as well as keep the piercing cold of the wind at bay. This Saint James Cancale II Sweater is a fine example of this while its shoulder button placket is a clever feature.



If chinos are the trouser of summer then there is no doubt that cords are the trouser of choice for the colder months. The cold and rain don't do wonders for your raw selvedge denim so if you want to avoid seeing big blue stains all over your new mountain boots then getting a pair of cords your grandfather would be proud of seems a wise move. These beige Paul Smith Cords tick all the boxes for me.



This last one is very much a case of wishful thinking because, but for a lottery win, I don't foresee anyway for me to be able to picking this up. I'm only sticking it up because it's the one piece that has truly taken me aback. The Nigel Cabourn Cameraman Jacket is based on the coat worn by Wilfird Noyce on his photography trips to Everest. This belter features an off white Mackintosh upper and an authentic Harris tweed lower section. This is a truly fantastic jacket. To anyone out there who can afford it, I truly envy you – fancy lending me a spare £900?